I admit it, math is not my favorite subject. But, I do love literature and combining the two makes math fun for me. If I am having a good time then I feel like I pass that good attitude on to my kids (now grandkids 🙂 ). Oh, throw in some cookies, and now everyone is a bit more inclined to be a part of the math lesson. lol Here are two books that I have found to be not only educational, but also colorful and relatable.

The Crayola Book by Jodie Shepherd obviously has crayons that are the focus, but also fun real life pictures to accompany the colors that have been selected. This has great details about sorting and gives examples for children to see. I like that is gives the definition on the first page. “Sorting is grouping similar objects together. There are lots of ways to sort! You can sort by color, shape, size, and more!”

Sorting by Henry Pluckrose is a series called Math Counts. This book is for young students who are just beginning to learn about sorting. There are two more books in this particular series called Counting and Numbers. They also have books that are suggested to use before books in this series called: Pattern, Shape, and Size. Is your child beyond all of these concepts? That’s awesome! You can read these instead: Time, Length, Weight, and Capacity.

So, why not read the books and then gather some of your own things from around the house to do a sorting activity? You can also graph items to extend the activity. For example: You sorted types of fruit: apples, pears, strawberries, and oranges. Graph how many of each you have. Take a poll and see what is each family member’s favorite fruit. Graph the result. You can extend this again by having your student write a paragraph about the findings.

Have a great week! ~Lisa~